Radiator shutters for arrangement on an air intake in a motor vehicle front serve to close and open a cooling-air supply as needed for a radiator, which is thermally coupled to an internal combustion engine. Provided that a radiator only needs to yield a comparatively small cooling output, namely when the drive also yields only a small output in accordance with the respective driving situation of the motor vehicle, it is not required to apply cooling air to the radiator, which is typically arranged in the area of the vehicle front. To reduce the air resistance of the motor vehicle, provision can be made in such cases for a throttling of the cooling-air supply by operating a radiator shutter. By closing individual lamellae of a radiator shutter, the air flowing against the vehicle front can thus for instance be guided past the air inlet in an aerodynamically favorable manner, when the radiator shutter is closed.
Common radiator shutters have a plurality of displaceable or pivotable components, which can be moved as needed, mostly by separate drives, for example by actuating drives.
DE 10 2008 013 420 A1 discloses an air passage device having a control unit, which includes a plurality of air flaps, which can be pivoted about parallel pivot axes, and a gear rod, which connects the air flaps for a common movement. The air flaps serve the purpose of either closing an opening of a basic assembly of releasing it for throughflow. An electric motor, which is permeated by a drive rod, is further rigidly connected to the basic assembly. The control assembly can be adjusted between a locked flow position and an open flow position by movement of the drive rod by the electric motor.